Smetana

Smetana - Ma Vlast - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - Vacláv Neumann - 1975
Classical | CD | FLAC LOG CUE | 335 MB | RS |
Suphraphone (11 1958-2 011) | Release Date: 1997

A romantikus cseh nemzeti zeneművészet első nagy képviselője, Bedrich Smetana 125 éve, 1884. május 12-én halt meg.
Smetana 1824. március 2-án született Litomysl városában. Ötévesen már vonósnégyesben játszott, ettől kezdve csak a zene érdekelte, leckeírás helyett koncertekre járt és komponált. Apja végül a szigorú premontreiek gimnáziumába íratta be, így sikerült leérettségiznie. 1843-tól a prágai konzervatóriumba járt, miközben zenetanár volt egy arisztokrata családnál.

The Smetana Quartet was a Czech string quartet that was in existence from 1945 to 1989. The Smetana Quartet arose from the Quartet of the Czech Conservatory, which was founded in 1943 (during the Nazi occupation) in Prague by Antonin Kohout, the cellist. With J. Rybensky and L. Kostecky as first and second violins, and Vaclav Neumann as violist, the group gave its first perfirmance as the Smetana Quartet in November 1945, in Prague. Neumann left to pursue conducting in 1947, at which point Rybensky went to the viola desk and Jiri Novak (who shared first violin desk with Josef Vlach, founder of the Vlach Quartet, under Vaclav Talich in the Czech Chamber Orchestra) came in as first violin...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Smetana Quartet, a famous Czech group representing the latter half of the 20th century, visited Japan for the first time in 1958 as the first cultural envoy to restore diplomatic relations between Japan and Czechoslovakia. Having visited Japan, he was very familiar to us. During that time, more than 200 of their LP records have been released in Japan, including reissues, and they have won the Record Academy Award sponsored by Ongaku no Tomosha seven times. I was. In 1980 and 1985, "Ongaku no Tomo" magazine ranked the top 10 most popular string quartets by musicians such as Amadeus, Italia, Juilliard, LaSalle, and Alban Berg. It won first place both times, pushing aside its rivals. The two pillars of their repertoire were works from their native Czech Republic, such as Smetana, Dvořák and Janáček, and Beethoven in this set. This set was not recorded at once, but was recorded one song at a time. Known as a monumental masterpiece.
The reason why they like to play Beethoven is that it is ``a piece that is deeply connected with reason and emotion'' and ``a song that makes you think deeply about philosophy, aesthetics, and morals'', especially his late string quartet.

Though both men were pioneers of a new musical identity in a Europe inflamed by nationalist movements, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) and Bedřich Smetana (1824-84) allowed numerous years to elapse before turning to the string quartet. Did they feel a certain apprehension towards a genre too closely bound up with the Austro-German tradition from which they were trying to break away? No doubt other forms had proved more conducive to their folk-tinged musical language – the miniature for Grieg, the opera and the symphonic poem for Smetana.

This is a superb disc. There have been distinguished collections of Smetana’s symphonic poems (notably a vintage Kubelík disc) but none quite to compare with this in excitement, richness of detail and, in the case of Wallenstein’s Camp, sonic spectacle – how well Smetana writes for the brass! Indeed this, Richard III and especially Hakon Jarl emerge afresh as symphonic poems every bit the equal of those of Liszt. The early Jubel Overture (1848) with its thundering, frantic opening timpani and energetic folksy flavour is a real find. So, too, is the beautiful watery tableau The Fisherman, which has a Wagnerian evocation gently reminding one of the moonlight sequence in Vltava.

The Smetana Quartet, a famous Czech group representing the latter half of the 20th century, visited Japan for the first time in 1958 as the first cultural envoy to restore diplomatic relations between Japan and Czechoslovakia. Having visited Japan, he was very familiar to us. During that time, more than 200 of their LP records have been released in Japan, including reissues, and they have won the Record Academy Award sponsored by Ongaku no Tomosha seven times. I was. In 1980 and 1985, "Ongaku no Tomo" magazine ranked the top 10 most popular string quartets by musicians such as Amadeus, Italia, Juilliard, LaSalle, and Alban Berg. It won first place both times, pushing aside its rivals. The two pillars of their repertoire were works from their native Czech Republic, such as Smetana, Dvořák and Janáček, and Beethoven in this set. This set was not recorded at once, but was recorded one song at a time. Known as a monumental masterpiece.
The reason why they like to play Beethoven is that it is ``a piece that is deeply connected with reason and emotion'' and ``a song that makes you think deeply about philosophy, aesthetics, and morals'', especially his late string quartet.